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Daichi liked to observe.
It was something that came to him naturally as an older sibling. He learned how to be attentive, he had to, especially with four younger siblings and busy parents. From food, baths, school, anything. Daichi would help his younger siblings by observing them and acting on it.
Reading people came easily to him now. Like how he knew when his parents were more tired than usual after a longer day of work. Or how he knew that some of his upperclassmen in the volleyball club were jealous of the second years. Or how he knew when a particular first year needed some help with his attitude. Or how he knew what the trio first years were actually doing when they didn’t come to practice.
He also knew how devastated Asahi was after the match with Dateko. It was horrible for Daichi too, coping with the loss and trying to operate the team with one less person at the same time. Their upperclassmen weren't active in the club too after their loss, believing there was anything left that they could do on the team. Daichi was left with an incomplete team, along with Suga and Shimizu. The whole ordeal didn't only affect him, instead creating a chain reaction to Nishinoya and to the rest of the team, now forced to operate without their ace, their libero, and a coach.
Well, the last one was normal. Daichi sharing whatever knowledge he could share didn't really count as coaching in his opinion. Takeda-sensei was kind enough to be their head coach, keeping their team operating, even if his volleyball knowledge was close to none. But Karasuno had to put up with it now. There really wasn't anything else they could do. And Daichi did the best he could. He tried.
He stayed back, observed, and evaluated. He gave feedback to the second years. He designed their own practice. Suga and Shimizu had been a great help. It wasn't enough for the team, but it helped.
Then, the new school year came.
Asahi and Nishinoya were still out of the picture, the holiday probably exhausted them even more to think about the team. Daichi let them. Nishinoya would come back soon enough. The energetic libero couldn't be separated from volleyball for too long if he could help it. Asahi needed time, maybe a little push too, but time mostly. Daichi was willing to give him that.
He tried not to think about them too much and focused on the current club activities.
The first year applicants were promising. There was Kageyama, the genius setter from Kitagawa Daiichi, and Hinata from an infamous junior high, but, based on the match Daichi saw, had very high potentials.
It was the two that Suga and Tanaka had taken their interest in, even the other second years' too. Daichi made a mental note to look out for them specifically, but he moved on to the other two.
Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Both were tall—the former even taller than Asahi. There wasn't anything remarkable from the forms they submitted, but Daichi remembered that he had seen them play in an official match and if his memories were anything to go by, they had potential too.
From what Daichi had learned throughout his teen life, you shouldn't overlook other gems just because you were blinded by one shining gem. It wasn't efficient in a team sport like volleyball.
He took notes, tried not to think too hard about it, and went to see them.
Kageyama and Hinata were like Daichi had expected. Their rivalry from junior high was still fresh. Looking at Kageyama, he felt like he knew the reason why Kitagawa Daiichi lost last year.
A team cannot win with a self-centered setter after all, and Karasuno wanted to.
Daichi wanted to bring the team to Nationals.
One other thing that he noticed was that Hinata and Kageyama would actually make a good team if one ignored their personalities. Hinata had the physic and determination of a super athlete. Kageyama was a genius setter with quick thinking. But both of them were too busy being held off by their past grudges to notice it.
Well, that wouldn't do, would it?
So Daichi rejected both of them, throwing them out of the gym, because they couldn't even look at each other's eyes without screaming something. Cruel, maybe, but he felt it was necessary for their growth. They were a team now and he needed them to realize that. Getting along with your teammate was only step one. If they couldn't do that, then there was nothing Daichi could do. But he had faith in them. They could work past it.
Kageyama was still stubborn even after that. Hinata would probably give all his might to join the team, thus getting along with Kageyama. The applicant setter, on the other hand, 'would rather receive, spike, and toss all by himself'. It was rather hilarious. Daichi appreciated his honesty, really, better now than later, but, then again, setter was a team-centered position.
Karasuno had to win and they couldn't with the recent Kageyama.
Harsh, sure, but true.
By the time practice was finished, just like he had expected, both Kageyama and Hinata wanted to prove that they could get along by winning a match against them. Daichi gave them time to improve their fragile teamwork and looked the other way when he noticed Tanaka and Suga helped. There was no reason for him to interrupt, although seeing them panicked every time Daichi hinted the simplest thing towards it was amusing.
The practice match was a tradition anyway, Daichi just complicated them a little bit. Karasuno wouldn't play with Kageyama as a setter unless they won.
He knew he was probably being seen as a jerk in front of them, especially Kageyama, but Daichi never really cared about what other people thought about him. He learned not to after being in Karasuno Volleyball Team, taking them as a fuel to go forward instead.
So he left them both to learn in Tanaka and Suga's hands and moved on to the next applicants.
Both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were intimidating at first, but again, Daichi observed. Yamaguchi was actually a sweetheart. He was polite and even a little shy. He tried not to let it show too much, probably because of his friend's influence, but Daichi could see the way he fidgeted with his hand silently or the way he laughed nervously as he conversed with the second years and Suga. Tsukishima was the more fickle one. He was blunt and antagonistic, as if he wanted everyone to hate him, or him to hate everyone—Daichi still didn't know which. He toned it down in front of his upperclassmen, being polite and all, but Daichi could feel it would intensify when their three-on-three match came.
It would be a problem, sure. But, again, it was also hilarious. Daichi knew he would have fun. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would be a hard opponent for the only raw potential of Hinata and Kageyama.
The day of the match came and everything played out exactly how Daichi had expected.
Well, almost. He certainly didn't expect the wildness of Hinata and Kageyama's combo. It was more powerful than he had expected, than Suga had expected. He found himself smiling in excitement, being able to witness both of their developing potentials in close range, also because he knew they and Tanaka would win this match.
Tsukishima was also a problem. Yamaguchi was being his sweet nervous self, but the lanky blonde was looking for fire. He intentionally provoked their opponents with trash talk. Same goal, different way, Daichi noticed. He laughed at how blunt Tsukishima was being, even trash talking Tanaka, his immediate upperclassman, in front of the team's captain, not even an ounce of hesitation in fear of a punishment or anger.
Well, Daichi didn't punish him because he found it funny. Their opponent needed the boost too. And Tsukishima needed to learn on who he could pick on and who was off-limits. It wasn't like it was only talking. Tsukishima did have good skills in volleyball, especially with his height.
He couldn't help but smile looking at Tanaka's crazed behavior, the result of Tsukishima's continuous razzing. No big deal, he was sure the blonde would learn even more today.
And if he showed off a bit with his receives, it shouldn't matter, right? The first years needed to learn sooner or later that even if he wasn't a flashy player like Tanaka, he couldn't be looked down on as the captain. It wasn't like he planned to win this match anyway.
He also let Tsukishima continue his trash talk. As harsh as it sounded, Kageyama needed to learn he couldn't control everyone and everything. It was sounding meaner and meaner as it went on, but Daichi let it because none of it was particularly untrue.
Kageyama could stand up for himself. Hinata could stand up for himself.
Their quick wasn't something that could be belittled at. It was fast and definitely breathtaking. Hinata wasn't even looking at the ball and it worked. It was unpolished and far from perfect, sure, but they could improve it with time. Even a simple speech by Suga did it by a little.
Everything was going just fine without him. With a little restraint for Tanaka here and there, everything was playing out wonderfully.
Tsukishima was having what looked like a life-changing lesson throughout the whole thing. Good, Daichi thought. It wasn't much, his attitude wouldn't change in a night, but hey, baby steps.
It was also funny how offended Tanaka was sometimes. Tsukishima would definitely fit in just fine.
And, Yamaguchi… He was having fun in the match with his closest friend on his side, even if a little strained under the pressure of wanting to win. He would develop later, Daichi predicted. This day wasn't a focus on him, he was just there as another first year applicant. He was just like the substitute second years, outshined by his glowing teammates. Not because of lack of trying, of course. Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita had made such beautiful progress, making up for their regress period in their first year. Yamaguchi was going to be like that too, Daichi wagered. He couldn't wait until the day he bloomed the way the others did, even if it needed a little more time.
So he stayed back once more, and observed.
The second round was even tougher than the first one with Kageyama and Hinata finding their rhythm in-sync. He could feel Tsukishima and Yamaguchi's growing irritation now that the table has turned against them, but he stayed silent.
Daichi smiled and continued the match.
The excitement in his heart grew even more when the whistle blew, ending the match in Hinata and Kageyama's win. He was looking forward to their days in the team, he thought as he watched Hinata trying to get a handshake from Tsukishima.
Speaking of the blonde.
Another thing that Daichi noticed about him, adding to the mental list of how different he was from his friend, Yamaguchi, was the lack of motivation.
He was motivated enough to want to win the match, but mostly because he just didn't want to let the 'King of the Court' win, and he certainly didn't like being proved wrong about Hinata. No, it wasn't about that. Daichi noticed the lack of any feelings towards the sport he was playing, as if he didn't like volleyball at all. Certainly strange if you asked Daichi, to willingly apply to the volleyball team when you didn't like playing it.
It wasn't about his feelings towards volleyball, Daichi realized as he closed his water bottle. It was hesitation. He wasn't sure about the sport and it held him back. Tsukishima didn't want to grow attached to it. For what reason? Well, Daichi did like to observe, but he certainly was no mind reader. He didn’t know, probably didn’t need to know. Time would surely tell, but not now.
So Daichi approached him, asked him if he liked the match. Tsukishima misunderstood, saying that he didn't mind that he lost to the King, even going as far as calling himself a commoner, continuing the bit. Daichi let it happen. The other would realize what he had meant later on his volleyball journey. Daichi still gave a hint to help him, noting how he played seriously despite it. By the end of it, Tsukishima was left confused and this time, Daichi held back another laugh. Giving a smile towards Yamaguchi, he let them both go.
Hinata and Kageyama quickly resubmitted their forms to join the team. Daichi didn't even have to look at them to know that he would be accepting them. He did anyway and watched as the first years, including Tsukishima after some prodding, put their team jacket on for the first time and couldn't help but feel proud.
This is it, Daichi thought as he took notes of them in their new jackets. Hinata was beaming, jumping here and there to show off his jacket. Kageyama was also happy to be on the team, playing as the position he had wanted. Yamaguchi was understandably nervous, he kept checking the jacket out, but Daichi could see his fascination. Tsukishima was … Tsukishima. His expression didn't change much, but the others' excitement made up for it.
It would only be a matter of time for Nishinoya and Asahi to come back too and the team would be complete.
Daichi smiled once again, genuine and thrilled, because he knew this year would be the year Karasuno thrived once again.